It's Not Over
by QueenAlla
Summary: Just when they thought it was over, a grudge comes back to haunt them. Relena. T for language, violence and mature themes.
1. The Beginning

I was never really inspired by 'Turk in Training'. I couldn't find the information I needed to continue. This, however, seems to be coming quite naturally for me ^.^ I hope you enjoy it. This is based a year after the events of Advent Children c:

I do not own Final Fantasy VII or its characters-they belong to Square-Enix/Squaresoft :3

* * *

Two days had passed since the Turks had heard any word from Elena, the youngest and most determined of their covert group. She hadn't answered her phone once during this time, which wasn't like her at all.

Though the Turks had cause to worry, they displayed no such emotion. There were reasons behind everything, and they knew that Elena was strong enough to take care of herself-she was a capable woman. Yet still, Tseng felt the need to send his most valuable Turk to check up on her.

After banging heavily for several moments on the front door of Elena's new house, Reno decided to open it himself. He pulled his keychain from his pocket and went through them all, but couldn't find the key to this house. He'd been expecting as much. Whilst all the Turks held keys to all their member's households, Reno hadn't received the key to open Elena's. He was left with her old apartment key, which he tossed casually into to the garden by his side.

Observing her house, he couldn't help but sigh. The two-storey building was made of a strong, cream coloured wood that gave it a cottage-like feel, and when combined with the sight and scent of the many yellow flowers that bloomed throughout the garden, it made his apartment look like trash. He would have had the money to buy his own house, after so many years of working for the Turks, if he hadn't spent it all on the flashy black Verona he barely used. He regretted that.

Reno stepped over to the window by the front door and tried to pull at it, but as he'd suspected, it didn't budge. The new homes that Midgar had built after the events of Meteor were kept very secure, unlike the older buildings who's front doors swung open by a mere push.

However, this place was not secure enough to stop a rock from smashing a window.

An alarm sounded instantly, but Reno didn't care. He could explain everything to the police later. He had only been inside Elena's new home once before, yet as a Turk, he had learned to survey and remember places exceptionally well. He checked every room of the house, until he finally reached her bedroom.

It was there she lay, handcuffed onto the bedpost and naked, with a long, yet thankfully thin red line trailing from her waist to her breast. The cream coloured sheets that lay crumbled at the end of her bed were spotted with blood. It was then he noticed the large gash that coursed down her upper leg.

Reno almost choked, frozen in place for a moment. His emotions prevented him from crying out to her and the horror he was seeing.

His panic and shock quickly formed into rage, a rage that melted down his defenses and gave him the will to speak again.

"Elena!" Dialling Tseng's number, Reno bolted over to the unconscious woman and checked her pulse, his breathing rapid and his hand trembling. It was beating faintly. Relief swamped him.

"Tseng? Tseng, Elena's...Well to put it simply..." He observed the ruffled and blood stained bed with a grimace. "Elena's been raped."

* * *

The Turks were thankful that Elena hadn't died of blood loss. The two gashes could have proved to be fatal, and combined with the fact that she was found unconscious, bound and with her mouth taped, she was very lucky to be alive.

There were two inevitable questions in all three men's minds that couldn't be answered until Elena awoke. How did this happen? Who did this? Surely there couldn't be someone with a grudge against _her_.

Tseng left the hospital room first after saying one final goodbye. Rude followed suit a few minutes later, when the tense silence between the three Turks became unbearable. But Reno stayed for a while, having nothing better to do than watch and wait.

As he sat backwards in his chair, he found himself being fascinated by the way her eyelids twitched unwillingly. He'd heard that when a person did this, it meant that they were in a stage of sleep known as 'REM' or 'Rapid Eye Movement'. It was the stage where dreams occurred.

He wondered what women dreamt about. Girl day outs? Hot boyfriends? Prancing chocobos? He almost fell asleep thinking about it, and when he realised, he jerked up from his seat. He'd probably overstayed his welcome. Walking towards the door, he looked back at the sleeping figure, scanning her expression. She looked peaceful.

The faintest of smiles crossed Reno's lips. He was proud of her. "See ya, Elena."

"No, stop."

Reno's eyes widened in hope and he turned around abruptly. But she was still asleep. Her brows were creased in frustration, and her lips had curled into a scowl. She was having a nightmare.

'_Or maybe,'_ he added_, 'remembering.'_

With a weary expression, Reno left the room.

* * *

The doctor's report returned the next day, Friday, when Elena had woken up. She had two wounds, one on the upper leg and one on her side-both which would heal within a few weeks. She was not pregnant, and suffered from no other injuries-physically or mentally. This was due to the fact that on the night of her attack, she'd been injected with a substance that would make her forget what had occurred. She couldn't recall anything from the time she went home from work on Tuesday, which had its positives and its negatives.

It seemed to be a simple situation. The person that had done this to her had an intent of harming her, but seemingly only as a warning. It was as if the person had known she would be rescued. Either this person was well trained and had other motives, or this person was simply an old acquaintance that wanted to teach her a lesson.

After hearing the doctor's satisfying report, the three Turks entered Elena's room. She was smiling faintly, but it was laced with puzzlement. As they were expecting.

"So, Elena, do ya remember anything?" Reno started instantly, earning the sharp glares from the two men next to him. They didn't protest, however, as they were both inwardly wondering the same thing.

Elena's soft smile morphed into a frown of concentration. She shook her head. "I remember going home Tuesday night and that's it."

Reno scowled. He never was a patient guy. "Well 'aint that just damn great."

"Reno!" Tseng hissed. He cleared his throat. "That's perfectly fine, Elena. We will begin work on this case immediately. As long as you're healthy, which we have heard, we will leave you to rest."

Elena blinked back befuddlement. "Sure..."

Rude nodded and turned to leave with Tseng, but once again, Reno remained, determined to get the answers he sought.

"Nothing?" He asked, more to himself than Elena. He huffed. "Are there any guys out there that have a grudge against you?"

Elena closed her eyes and thought. Reno didn't trust her eyes being closed anymore. He sat down backwards in a nearby chair and watched her closely.

"Mmm... Nope. I don't think so. And I've never had a boyfriend." She almost choked as she realised what she'd just told him. Of course, the doctor must have had her on some form of relief drug that had loosened her tongue. But Reno didn't seem concerned with that at the moment- he was focused on something. She looked at him expectantly, noting the steely glint in his aquamarine eyes that suggested he had learnt something unfortunate.

'_It 'aint often a guy gets away with doin' that to a Turk._' Reno thought, _'So he must be…'_

It was then he remembered a case much like this a few years back. After being ordered to assassinate a dangerous threat in the Slums, Reno had been attacked by the wife of the man he had killed. Her escape had led to many troubles afterwards.

"Dammit. Then that means someone must have a grudge against us _Turks._ They're trying to warn us. Crap freakin' crap!" Reno scowled and slammed his fist against the back of the chair in protest.

Elena winced at his sudden outburst. "We've had heaps of grudges put against us. We've been in danger like this so many times before. What makes this so different?"

Reno crossed his arms defiantly. "Take a look at yourself. No one's ever 'cuffed a Turk to their bed and raped them. Whoever did this really means business."

The woman stared at him, stunned. It seemed as if she had no clue as to the events that had occurred.

"Oh dammit woman, didn't anyone tell you!?"

She looked away hesitantly. Everything was finally making sense, yet to her dismay, she didn't like it. "No."

"Well, whatever." He muttered, hastily shaking away the subject. "I've gotta get back and start work on this. You start Monday."

And with that, Reno left the room.

* * *

So, how was it? ^.^

Reviews make me happy c:


	2. The Bracelet

Gah . Sorry that I took so long to update! I hope you haven't all given up on it yet P: I'm sorry that there isn't any Relena in this chapter, but I will get around to that ;3

* * *

That same afternoon, Elena had been sent home with a small bottle of painkillers as a souvenir. Although she was relieved to be heading for the comfort of her home, a part of her was hesitant. How could she stay comfortable knowing that she was constantly at risk of being attacked again? Despite not being able to remember the events of the past night, she knew that she had been helpless. If her offender had caught her while she was awake, he wouldn't have gotten away with it. She must have been sleeping. So how could she sleep peacefully now, knowing that it could be the death of her?

_I just won't sleep. _Elena tried to convince herself, as she turned her key into the lock. With a quick turn of the wrist, the door opened and a cool breeze welcomed her. The air-conditioner was on, meaning she had a guest.

She stepped inside wistfully, taking her time to observe the state of her house. It was as clean as ever, she noted. This realisation drew a satisfied smile on her face.

"Elena?"

The latter swiftly took in a sharp, deep breath in shock at hearing her name called. Though she was anticipating a visitor, she wasn't quite ready, it seemed.

"Tseng?" She replied, shuffling her shoes off her feet and heading down the hallway towards the lounge-room. She trailed her fingers lightly against the cream wallpaper, relishing in its brightness compared to the rest of Midgar. When she was home, she felt a million miles away. She had spent a fortnight living in its luxuries, and was still growing accustomed to its large, airy space. The cream-coloured carpet felt soft and comforting against the soles of her feet, which hadn't felt such relief in many hours.

Elena entered the lounge-room and saw Tseng watching her from the couch. He wore a look of fatherly concern.

"Take a seat." He offered, motioning for her to sit. This made Elena bite back a giggle. He was so much of a gentleman that he didn't seem to realise he was the guest here. Force of habit, perhaps.

Elena did so, but winced in pain as she felt a familiar sensation ache from her waist upwards. She decided it was time to take her medication.

"I'll get you a glass of water." Tseng said, rising sharply from his seat. Elena wondered if she had entered the wrong house. It was as if he knew the place inside out. Which he would have, of course. He had obviously searched it for signs of evidence related to her case.

Elena let out a deep breath. The lounge-room had proven to be a contemplative place to relax. The curtains let in just the right amount of light, the scented candles placed atop the coffee-table and television cabinet released the perfect amount of fragrance, and the air was silent.

_Yes,_ she decided. _This is the best thing I've ever invested in._

The moment she closed her eyes, she heard the sound of glass clinking against wood. Instinctively, she sat up straight in her seat.

"Thank you, Tseng." She said mildly. She was more interested in defeating the pain that was racing through her body than exchanging pleasant conversation.

"Elena," Tseng said slowly as she drank from the glass, "using samples discovered in your home, we have identified the attacker."

She didn't stop drinking, but her brown eyes darted upwards in newfound curiosity.

"He is an average man named Gerard Young, aged 31, who works in the local karaoke bar." He continued, his eyes wandering across the room. Then the inevitable question arrived. "Do you know of him?"

Elena lowered the glass and smiled softly. Her gaze followed a tiny fly that was weaving its way through the air and she bit her lip, realising that they had a long way to go.

"No."

His chuckle made her gaze falter.

"I thought not."

The two Turks were silent for a moment, before Tseng finally continued. "I understand that you must be feeling threatened right now. I have arranged for Rude to stay here, if you would like, to watch over you and keep you from harm until we have dealt with this Gerard."

Elena considered this. Rude was certainly an excellent bodyguard, and he had long since earned her trust and friendship-not that this was such a matter. But she would be willing to have him stay. The question was, for how long?

"When _will_ we deal with Gerard?" She asked, bringing her chocolate brown eyes to meet his own cold ones. His eyes had always fascinated her. They looked so icy and secretive, yet at the same time, so welcoming and loyal. Unlike her own, she thought. She had always believed that her eyes were empty, and that they said nothing about her past or her personality.

"Tomorrow evening." His simple reply was enhanced with a note that he placed into her hands.

Elena quickly opened the note and began to read.

_Miss Elena Pierce, I thank you dearly for your time last night. I would very much like to learn more about you. You were so quiet, you know. That wasn't very nice._

Elena's face flashed red with disgust. She could practically _hear_ the sarcasm dripping from the foul words. She would have given anything to punch in the man's face and watch him suffer.

_I'm offering free drinks to you and your three friends-_

This made her shudder. He had known she was a Turk. He wanted the Turks-all of them.

_All you have to do is visit Carl's Karaoke Bar on Midgar Road, 8pm Saturday, and tell the bartender 'I am here'. I'll be waiting. Love you xox_

Elena felt nauseous as she closed the note and placed it as far away from her as possible. She had heard of, known, and killed such creeps, but had never been the victim of one until now. And she hated it. It sickened her at the thought, made her feel uneasy, and worst of all, provoked the question, _"Why me?"_.

"What's the plan?" Elena asked, unable to shed the grimace that was painted on her face.

"We have Intel from sources inside and outside of ShinRa," Tseng replied, trying not to let the pity show on his features. "That tells us Carl's Karaoke Bar lives up to its name every day, every night, except Tuesday evenings. An ex-member revealed that at this time, the bar holds council meetings related to any popular topics relative at the time. The Turks were, and most likely still are, one of the most discussed of these. And we weren't talked about kindly. You have guessed that this man is plotting against us, and I can assure you that he won't be the only one. Those who have lost loved ones to us will seek revenge. Rufus has ordered that we arrest those who try to harm us through means of dangerous threats, and kill those who attack. Now, I will brief you and the others on this mission tomorrow morning, 0900 sharp. Be sure to be at HQ by then, in my office. Understood?"

It was a fair bit to take in, though Elena had suspected half as much. The thought of confronting the man who attacked her was both thrilling and alarming. She wanted more than ever to make him pay for everything he'd done, but he appeared to be a dangerous opponent, considering he would have backups. Then again, so did she.

"Understood." She replied.

Tseng was about to leave when a thought struck her.

"Wait," Elena called out and continued once Tseng turned to face her, "How about you all come over for dinner tonight and we can discuss here?"

A frown of concentration crossed Tseng's face as he pondered this. Finally, he replied with a nod. "1830?"

Elena grinned. "6:30 it is."

* * *

The kitchen was alight, with fire on the stove, fresh aromas circling the house, and chicken sizzling greedily in the frypan as it devoured the burning olive oil. And Elena loved it. The kitchen was huge-it was her dream kitchen, in fact. There were unending granite counters, racks for her pots and pans and essential other cookware, cupboards filled to the brim with food...It all brought a proud smirk to her face. She couldn't wait to please the Turks with her first-class cooking skills. Her chicken parmesgana was renowned throughout ShinRa HQ, and despite being tired and aching, Elena believed there would be no lack of flavour in this house tonight.

As she scrounged the cupboards in search for herbs, something caught her eye. On a nearby counter was a black bracelet-something she'd never seen before in her life. It was adorned with several gold scratch marks. Assuming it was one of the Turk's, she tossed it onto the serving counter where she would remember to show the others later on.

* * *

Elena, Tseng and Rude all sat around the dining room table, their hot, delicious-smelling meals testing their wills of resisting temptation. Reno was late.

"This...Looks amazing, Elena." Tseng complimented, his gaze not leaving his plate. Elena smirked at this. She'd never seen Tseng look so ready to give in.

"Thank you, Tseng!" She replied chirpily. Praise to her food always guaranteed her to be in a good mood, even if she _had_ been waiting five minutes to eat. She glanced anxiously at Rude, who didn't seem to notice this. Tseng nudged him.

"Oh! Er..." Rude stuttered. "It looks real good. Permission to kick Reno in the ass when he gets here, Tseng?"

Elena was more than pleased. She was ecstatic.

_I _must _remember to cook food more often for people. _She decided.

"Permission granted." Tseng chuckled, and instantly, Reno burst into the room, sweating but carrying a bottle of wine.

"Yo guys!" Reno grinned at them, waving the bottle in huge motions above his head. "Hah, I-"

His gaze was fixed on the meal ahead of him. No surprise, of course-he looked ravenous. Within a split second, the food was already hanging out of his mouth.

"Mind telling us why you were late, Reno?" Rude asked, trying to sound stern between mouthfuls of the fulfilling meal.

The redhead's aquamarine eyes met Rude's, but only momentarily. His food seemed to be more appealing. "I was over at Sierra's when I got the message."

Rude grunted in reply. His girlfriend was always one of the main topics of his attention-work came first, of course. He'd been with her for almost a year now, and yet if you saw them together, you'd think they'd been going out for less than a week. They were always so happy together.

"Hm." Elena looked at him side on. "Isn't she that golden haired beauty from reception?"

Reno pushed a string of cheese into his mouth as he nodded. "Yeah. She's more of a blonde though. Like yours but more yellow." He pointed to Elena's own hair. It had grown substantially over the past few months, and now hung below her shoulders.

She giggled. "That's called golden, Reno."

The mention of gold sparked a memory in her mind. The bracelet. After taking one last bite, she walked over to the counter and took the black band.

"Guys, does this belong to any of you? I found it on the counter today."

They glanced up at her, shaking their heads. All except Reno, who stared at it intently for a few moments as if recognising it.

"Pass it to me." Reno demanded. She did so, and watched him as he trailed his fingers around the scratched surface of the bracelet.

"Dammit." He muttered. Heads turned to face him, and forks rested against the plates. "Last week, when I was ordered to kill that woman, the one who kept escaping from prison...she was wearing that."

Suddenly the food seemed much less appetising.

Tseng's face turned stone cold. "This is definitely a ploy whose roots have grown from revenge. They are going to try to make us suffer."

It had begun with Elena. They all knew that it would soon travel from person to person if they didn't overcome the problem soon.

"Let's get this brief over and done with." Reno muttered, looking quite unopen to any other suggestions.

"Right." Tseng studied the Turk's dismal expressions before continuing. "This is it."

* * *

Wahey. Not much of a cliff-hanger xD I sweorr, the next chapter won't take nearly as long as this one did to put up F:

Review for a Reno-shaped cookie :3 And because you love me!! :DD Daww.


	3. The Nightmare

Ohhai c: It's me again, with another fresh update :DD I hope you enjoy reading (and reviewing, hint-hint ;3)! Oh, and I was listening to Evanescence whilst writing this, so I hope it doesn't turn out too angsty xD

* * *

Flashes. Memories. Painful feelings Elena only wanted to suppress. In her nightmares, she was sleeping, smiling, dreaming. And then she was enveloped in darkness so rich and profound that she could no longer feel her soul. Everything was so empty. She was falling. She was falling into the darkness.

"No!"

Something inside Elena had torn her nightmare in half. Her body was awake, yet her mind was lost and confused, unable to tell apart the light from the darkness. Beads of sweat trickled down her forehead, merging with the tears she had shed unwillingly out of terror. Everything she had experienced in the nightmare felt real, and all she wanted at that moment was comfort. But she was alone. Shaken, trembling and horribly alone. Even the sheets on her bed had abandoned her.

She willed her heavy breathing to calm, but her body was resisting her, as if ruled by another mind. At that moment, she wondered if she was about to fall into another nightmare-losing control was her greatest fear. To her relief, she had been spared.

_Something's happened._ Elena realised as she finally regained order in her mind. Although she knew the main reason for her nightmare was due to her mind trying to cope with the now sinking realisation that she had been raped, she could sense that something dreadful had ensued to someone she cared about.

She drew in a deep breath and closed her eyes in an attempt to further calm herself, only to open them instantly. The last thing she wanted to see at that moment was darkness. She reached out to her left and flicked the switch on her bedside lamp, then recoiled in the sudden wave of light that flooded her bedroom. She had almost forgotten what it felt like to be in the safety of light, which was enough comfort to satisfy her for the moment. Once her eyes had adjusted to the abrupt change in brightness, she glanced across to the clock on her wall. It was 4 am. And she definitely didn't have plans to fall back into the menacing grip of sleep.

Elena propped herself up on several pillows and observed a painting on the wall opposite her. A lush green valley protecting a long, ice-blue river was framed inside a box. Such perfect beauty could not be contained, she knew. Nor could it be obtained. Her experiences in ShinRa had taught her such things.

ShinRa.

Rude.

Elena's heart skipped a beat as she remembered that she wasn't alone. Rude was with her. Relief swamped her, accompanied by a huge grin that assured her safety. She quickly stepped out of bed and stepped into her prized chocobo slippers before heading downstairs to where she knew Rude was resting. That was, if he wasn't the one she was supposed to be worried about.

Thankfully, Rude was fine. Elena saw this once she entered the lounge-room, where Rude was silently watching a crime show. A soft smile tweaked at the corner of her lips.

"Rude?"

The bald Turk, still wearing his white shirt and dark blue pants, turned to face her. His brown eyes appeared tired. "Mmm?"

"Aren't you going to...Never mind." Elena's eyes didn't meet his own, instead preferring to watch the silent gunfight occurring on the television. "I...I got this feeling that something...I know this sounds stupid, but I think something bad has happened to one of the Turks."

Rude turned off the television and studied her eyes, wearing a concentrated frown. "'S'not stupid. Your gut's usually right."

"Oh?" Elena seemed mildly amused at the idea.

"Well," Rude looked away awkwardly, "Not yours in particular, but...How about you call Reno? I'll call Tseng."

Elena frowned. Worry began to crease her forehead. It would take a lot for something bad to happen to Reno, and she was afraid of the cause. "Right."

She was hesitant to take the phone from its home. What was on the other side of the line left her feeling anxious. But as a woman, as a Turk, and as a friend, she couldn't let her fears rule her mind.

With trembling fingers, she dialled Reno's number and waited. The ringing and the waiting became unbearable, and when she was told to leave a message, she had to resist the urge not to curse at the pre-recorded operator.

"There's no reply." She informed Rude, who had just got off the phone with Tseng.

Rude nodded as if anticipating the answer. "Tseng's fine. Let's go."

* * *

As expected, Elena and Rude received no reply from Reno's apartment. As much as Elena wanted to believe that Reno was merely asleep, she couldn't bring herself to believe it. Fear was building up inside her, making her feel weak. Before the attack, she felt strong, capable and content with herself. Now she was filled with doubts. Her fears were beginning to take over.

She was brought back down to reality when she heard the click of the front door opening. Rude entered first, holding his gun out in front of him. Elena followed suit.

"Clear." Rude stated as they split up inside the house. This made Elena feel even worse-as if they were about to investigate a crime scene.

His double-storey apartment was more than enough in size for one person, and was awkwardly empty. It was clear that Reno spent as little time in its living quarters as possible.

"Clear." Elena called back as she entered lounge-room. All it contained was a couch, widescreen television, bookshelf, and piano. She doubted Reno read any of the few books that were included in the bookshelf, and she knew for a fact that he didn't play piano-it had come with the house, he had told her. She, however, did, and played it as much as possible, for it was a beautiful one and in excellent condition. Reno never protested against this either-in fact, he seemed to enjoy the pretty tunes she came up with.

Elena noticed a piece of paper stuck on the front of his piano. Frowning, she walked over to it and tore it off.

"Rude, I've found something."

Moments later, Rude came over to her side, lowering his gun. He read the note.

_They've taken Sierra. I'll be at Carl's._

"Short and sweet." Elena murmured, biting her lip anxiously. Although it was in Reno's nature to be quick about things, she could tell he was in a rush. And judging by the dark feelings she had experienced earlier, she knew _they_ were too.

* * *

Hahah. Fail ending xDD And by 'they' in the last sentence, I was implying Gerard and all those dudes . Yeah w/e xD

Review pleease :DD I promise that there will be Relena soon :3


	4. The Death

I'm baack~ Again. wOOt. Hopefully with some Relena this tiem c:

I hope my chapters aren't too short . I'm no good at writing really lengthy chapters xD Fail.

* * *

The full moon illuminated the veil of clouds that guarded it, sending soft rays of light through cracks in the skies' curtain, where it gently dappled the grey city beneath. There was an unmistakable chill in the air tonight, one that kept small children and their families tucked in the warm safety of their blankets. However, Rude and Elena were not small children, and they no longer had a family to protect them. They were dependant on themselves to guard them from the unsafe mysteries of the night. Their only protective blanket was their revolver.

As the two Turks approached the seemingly empty Karaoke Bar, they slipped their guns from their holsters and held them close to their face. The entire street was completely silent, and the only sign of movement came from a few dozen moths swarming around a street lamp. Each Turk took care to take hushed steps as they split into different directions, Elena heading for the back entrance and Rude for the front.

Peering through the darkly tinted windows, Elena could make out the dim glow of a light somewhere inside the building. She continued to step swiftly around the outside of the bark, squinting in the dark as to find an entry point. She could hear no voices from inside to guide her-the mindless chirruping of the crickets droned out all sound but the soft crunch of her boots against the fallen autumn leaves. Sticking close to the wall, she traced her fingers across the brick until she felt an entry point. For several moments all she felt was the coarse texture of the stone. But then her fingers came upon a smooth surface-a door. She felt around for the handle, and when she found it, was relieved to find that it was unlocked. It was the little things like that; she found, which made a mission much more bearable.

She slowly turned the icy-cold knob until the door gave way and opened with a soft creak. The moment it did so, the unpleasant taste of blood entered her mouth, and she realised that she had been anxiously biting her lip for the past minute or so. It seemed to be becoming a regular habit of hers nowadays.

With one last deep breath, Elena willed herself to calm down before entering. As much as she hated to admit it, she was afraid of what was beyond the door. She was a Turk, yes, but she was also a woman, and these people had taken advantage of that fact once before.

_I'll just have to give them a taste of my Turk self tonight._ Elena decided, trying to sound more confident than she felt.

And with that, she let go of her worries and entered the bar, closing the door sharply behind her. Her momentary pride was forgotten when the pungent smell of stale alcohol and drugs filled her nostrils. Through the darkness, she could see that it was accompanied by food scraps and broken glass littered across the floor. She did her best to survey her dirty surroundings, and ended with a huff. To say it was foul would be an understatement. How anyone could live in such an environment was beyond her. However, criticising the standards of bars was not the reason she had come. She _had_ to find Reno.

Elena began to walk tentatively across the carpeted floor towards a glow in the corner of the room where a staircase to the basement was probable. She could tell the floor was carpet by the squelching sound she heard every time she took a step. Clearly no one in here had heard of the term 'cleaning'.

There was suddenly a difference in the sound of her footsteps, where she had stepped onto a matted tile floor-wet with some sort of fluid.

"Hey!"

Elena instinctively aimed her gun in the direction of the voice. It was a gruff male's, and it was emerging from the glow in the distance.

Suddenly, she felt herself being pushed into a small corridor in complete darkness. Her quiet gasp was muffled by a hand pressed tightly to her mouth. The heavily breathing, warm presence was quite clearly a man. And judging by the way he had her pressed against the wall with his face next to hers, it was-

"Elena," Reno murmured into her ear. He was trying hard not to let his rugged breathing alert the other man of their presence. "It's me."

Elena resisted the urge to whisper back 'well duh', and instead nodded, though it seemed nothing more than her cheek rubbing against his own. She began to bite her lip again when she realised how close Reno was to her. She could feel his heat against her chest. She could have sworn she felt fear, too. Fear or resentment. Whatever it was, she could feel that Reno was hurting inside.

They stayed there in the darkness for at least ten minutes, though after a few less, Reno had pulled away and stood silently beside her. This relieved Elena. It was slightly awkward having your business partner situated against your chest. Though she had to admit, she didn't mind it. She was just glad that they couldn't see each other at that moment, because Reno would have easily noticed the blush that had crept onto her cheeks.

Rude relieved them of the uncomfortable situation by dragging them from the dark corridor and leading them towards the back door. It was as silent and empty as it had been when Elena had first entered, but the suspense had definitely grown. All she wanted to do was throw questions at Reno-there was so much she wanted to ask. Something that had happened in there had changed him. She could tell by the empty expression on his face. Anyone would have considered him merely tired or bored, but after nearly four years of knowing Reno, Elena could see it in those aquamarine eyes of his that he was hurting.

Relief flooded Elena as she stepped outside into the crisp night air. She could breathe properly again. Almost instantly, she turned to look Reno straight in the eye. He looked well and truly exhausted.

"What happened in there?" She demanded, wincing upon hearing her own sharp tone. She hadn't intended to sound so bossy. "Sorry. Reno?"

The redhead averted his gaze. Elena was shocked to see how different he looked. While physically there were no real changes, he seemed emotionally drained, and it showed. He looked so...hollow. And then she realised. He'd gone after Sierra.

"No..." Elena whispered, shaking her head in denial. She couldn't comprehend how anyone could be so cruel. "Reno..."

But he had already begun to walk away.

* * *

Reeview~! c: It will make me very happy indeed ^-^Is it too cliché/boring? o: Let me know so that I can try and make it a bit more exciting :DD


	5. The Truth

HEY LOOK ITS AN UPDATE: gaspshriek:

Just in case you happened to be wondering why Midgar still seems to be in one piece, I'm writing this fanfic as a sort of AU. I mean, all the events that occurred in the original storyline still exist, it's just that I'm being lazy by pretending that Midgar is magically fixed up xD Hah. Fail. (Hey, there would be no ShinRa HQ if it _wasn't_ an AU...xD)

Anyways, I hope you enjoy this rather delayed chapter and the Relena that goes with it c:

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ﾟ｡ﾟ｡ﾟ｡ﾟ｡ﾟﾅﾐﾊﾅﾘﾊﾆﾘﾘｲｼ ｼｲﾄﾆｽｲﾄﾟ｡ﾟ｡ﾟ｡ﾟ｡ﾟ

_Two hours,_ _two hours until we'll be at headquarters writing up our reports._ Elena thought to herself as she glanced up at the sky. There was a faint glow above that suggested morning was near; however it could have easily just been the city lights reflecting upon the quickly moving clouds. Despite morning growing closer, the air still remained ice cold, and Elena found herself shivering as she attempted to catch up with Reno.

She rounded the last corner to her car, but to her surprise, Reno walked straight past it.

"Reno, where are you-"

"I wanna be alone for a bit, you and Rude can leave me." His tone shocked her-his voice had never sounded so tense and uncertain. However, this only made her want to follow him all the more.

"Rude..." Elena turned around to face the car where she knew Rude waited. He caught her eye and nodded at her, then retreated to the back seat where he would rest for a while. That was the beauty of being a Turk for so many years-she had such a close bond with the others that they could communicate through mere glances, and a lot of the time even a glance was unnecessary.

By the time she turned back to face Reno, he was already rounding another corner. She swiftly bounded across the coarse pavement, her footsteps light and furtive. She slowed as her target came back into view. He was headed towards the newly placed Guillaverne Park. It was one of the busiest spots in Midgar during the day, as it contained the only natural greenery within miles. Once you'd stepped onto its lush green grass, your mind became convinced that you'd entered a place far from the rundown city of Midgar. It was, quite literally, beautiful. Evergreen trees were scattered across its broad area of at least one twelfth of the city, flower bushes were planted in neat rows, and there were park benches built generously around the premises. There was even a stone water fountain in the middle of the park, dedicated to the Wutain god Leviathan, as it was the Wutain's, led by Yuffie Kisaragi, that had collected the money needed and built the magnificent gardens. The park was made as a breathing space for the people of Midgar-a place where they could forget their troubles, if only for a while, and relax.

Elena frowned in confusion. When Reno was depressed, he didn't go drown his sorrows in the park. He went to a bar and got smashed. He couldn't have really had a complete mental change, could he?

A drop of rain fell against the hand she had pressed on her head. It was the first time she had felt rain in months, and if the weather reporter was right, that's how long she would have to endure it for. Not that she didn't like the rain-she loved it, in fact. But search and kill missions were made much more uncomfortable when it was dark and wet. And it didn't help that people's moods reacted to the weather. Trying to gain intelligence from sullen and brooding townsfolk wasn't pleasant in the slightest.

Elena pursued Reno into the near-deserted gardens (the only other inhabitants being a few homeless people), the clean-cut, dew sodden grass creating a crisp sound as she stepped across it. The rain began to fall steadily now, producing a soft and sure stream of sound as it did so. With each rain droplet that cascaded to the lush green carapace of the earth, Elena became more and more relaxed. Yes, she decided, the atmosphere in the gardens was definitely of a different kind than out on the streets.

She heard the tall redhead sigh, and it was obvious that his Turk instincts had told him she was following, because he reprimanded her for it.

"Elena, a Turk always listens to his superiors." He turned around mid step to stop Elena in her tracks, and he succeeded. She glanced up at him and stared sharply into his unusually faint aquamarine eyes.

"Her."

Reno scowled and pushed her violently against a nearby evergreen. He normally wouldn't have gotten so frustrated over such a small thing, but the pent up anger inside of him was causing him to near his full capacity. "Disobedient little-"

As swift as Reno's mouth was, Elena's leg was swifter. She kneed him in his frontal region and swerved around his body, bringing his hands behind his back out of pure instinct. He should have expected more of his little Turk.

He cried out in pain as he released all the built up rage that was causing him blindness. "Freaking hell Elena-"

She silenced him by pushing him against the tree he almost had her caught on. "Shut up Reno! I don't care how much you're suffering, you're not gonna take it all out on me. Go down to the bar if you want to have a quickie-I'm _not_ one of your play girls. I'm your co-worker." Her tone softened, the angry edge quickly fading as she saw Reno's pain-stricken face. "Reno?"

She let her grasp on Reno's wrists slip away. He stumbled past her; to her great relief tearless, and collapsed onto an empty bench. He looked agonised, and not just due to the physical pain he'd earned himself. Loss could cause a lot of hurt to even the strongest of people.

"Reno…" Elena was distressed to see someone so intrepid to in such a disheartened state. She had never seen him look so hurt before, and it was something she never wanted to see again. "I'm sorry."

Reno's eyes flicked up at her and were suddenly stern. "I needed that. I'm the idiot here. I just…I'm so mad with myself."

Elena reached out to him, but he shook his head. "I was too caught up in how much I loved her that I fell for every damn word she said. This Turk uniform? I don't deserve it."

"Wait, what do you mean? Sierra…?" Elena's curiosity found her pressing on to the subject. As far as she knew, Reno was the victim in this situation.

He rubbed his temples before muttering three words with great difficulty. "Sierra's… a spy."

* * *

_I woke up early-it was still dark-to the sound of some irritatingly annoying tune. I couldn't be sure where it was coming from, so I threw a pillow in its general direction. __I heard something smash as I did so. __The tune of death didn't stop, it only grew louder, so I __reached out across my bed__, grabbed my mobile phone, and threw it across the room. It kept getting louder. And louder. So I threw myself out of bed and answered it._

"_Who the fuck calls at this t-"_

"_Re-ah!" I got all tensed up when I heard the panicked voice of Sierra. She cried out, and, freaking out, I realised that she must have left my place a while ago. My brain wasn't fully operating at the time._

"_Where are you?" I tried to sound calm, and I think I did a damn good job of it considering how much I wanted to freaking yell at her._

"_They've got me-get-ah! At Carl's!" _

_It sounded like something outta a cheap action rental movie, only this was real. I quickly texted Rude to give him the rundown, and then laughed like a madman when my phone told me I was outta credit or some crap. Things couldn't get any worse. I mean, why can't your phone tell you you're outta cash before you start the text? Or better yet, why can't it just not run out?_

_I did the next best thing. No, not my home phone-I don't have one. I scribbled down a note and stuck it to my piano. I don't know why the hell I did that-I just had this feeling that I knew my Turks would know what to do. They're hell awesome like that._

_Ten minutes and a cheap coffee later, I arrived at Carl's. The building looked deserted, and I began to doubt that I was at the right place. I was picturing a huge bar fight with knives flying everywhere, not complete darkness. Though that could have easily been the problem. _

_I entered from the front door, hoping that there wouldn't be a big surprise party waiting for me, and found none. I did see a glowing light not too far away, though, and so I crept up to it, ignoring the stench of crap that reeked through the place. The light came from down a staircase. Yeah, naturally they'd hold their party in a basement. I wouldn't have been surprised if Vincent was their leader._

_It was a pretty average staircase, just in case you're interested in architecture. Heh, it's funny the things that run through your mind when you're about to bust into a secret organisation's meeting. _

_Though I didn't quite bust, and it wasn't exactly a secret organisation's meeting, from what I could hear. I stood next to the chipped, broken door and listened on through one of the several holes in the wood. _

_I heard an amused snicker. _

"_And because of your ignorant rebellion, you'll be next!"_

_I didn't wait to see if it was Sierra that was in there. I kicked down the door, ninja style, my gun held out in front of me. Sierra and an armed man stood inside. My eyes widened in disbelief when I saw Gerard lying on the stone-tiled ground, blood gushing from his head._

_I was next._

_Two gunshots went off at the same moment, and both missed their targets. I took cover behind a keg of beer and continued to fire. The wooden keg soon began to leak, which was the desired effect. I tucked my gun in my belt and waited. The firing didn't stop, and I felt nervous. Had something happened to Sierra? _

_After three more bullets, the firing ceased. I could tell the shooter was a rookie, and I stood up from behind the keg, my gun ready._

_Sierra and the shooter stood beyond the beer spillage, just staring at me. Sierra looked guilty, the man fuming. _

"_Re-" The man kicked her to the floor before she could continue._

"_That bitch betrayed you, Reno," He snarled. "You might want to reconsider who your allies are. Because those people," He turned to glance at Gerard. "Always end up dead."_

_I took a shot at him, but he managed to dodge it and exit up the stairs. I ran after him, but Sierra tugged at my jacket. Some things could wait. But it was situations like this that proved that Turks should always come in pairs._

_I turned around to face Sierra. She avoided my eyes, looking as guilty and shameful as ever. All hopes I had disappeared instantly when I saw those eyes._

"_Sierra." My voice choked up on me, and I mentally kicked myself for sounding so weak when I ought 'a have sounded fierce. So I spoke my next words clear and firm. "What did you do?"_

_Instinctively, I wanted to brush away the tears that rolled down her cheeks. But I stopped myself. If she…_

"_I'm so sorry," She whispered, biting back choked sobs. "I wanted to tell you. I wanted to tell you that…I was sent to ShinRa…"_

_I'd never been so disgusted in my life. Betrayed and lied to by the one woman I was so sure I loved. Why the hell me?_

"_You were a mole all along," I scowled. The love and the hate I had for her clashed, and I didn't know what to feel but anger. "Sent to lie to us. Sent to help demolish the very people you've always hated, am I right? 'Cause that's how it always is with you people! You're all the same!"_

_She began to cry in choked sobs. I almost felt sorry for her. But all those years of experience made me forget everything I'd shared between us-for now, at least. Who knows what'd come back to haunt me when I soon got smashed at Seventh Heaven._

"_Reno," She forced herself to say. "You don't have to accept me, but I want you to know that people change-"_

_I _hated _that talk. The talk where they act all brave and heroic, telling you as if they're the wisest people on the planet that it's all gonna be okay, and I'm really sorry but in the end you'll forgive me. Fuck that._

"_Change my ass-" I started to yell._

"_Gerard, Reno, Gerard! I'm not talking about me; I know I'm the person you hate more than anyone else on the planet. I just wanted to tell you that Gerard is lying on the floor dead for you and for ShinRa. He was the one who led you here and gave you all the clues. If it were up to the boss, you'd have no idea about any of this, and within a week you'd all be dead. Gerard was one of those few guys that realise their mistakes and make up for them."_

_I honestly didn't give a damn. All I wanted to do was to deal with Sierra, a la Miss Betrayer. "And next you're gonna tell me that Mystery Man was shooting at me 'cause he loved me. Do you think I freaking care?"_

_Sierra cast her green eyes away from me. "I guess virtues don't count once you've sinned."_

_My mind faltered for a moment, and I lowered my voice. Her comment had struck me deep. _

"_Sierra," I said softly, "I don't know why you did what you did, but no excuse can change it. Not for something this big-you should know that."_

_She swallowed and unsteadily looked back to my face. Then she asked the question I was dreading."So now what?"_

_I breathed out a long breath and scanned the room around me. It was small, as basements are, and littered with boxes, crates and other unassuming trash._

"_When I write up my report, Mr Pres is gonna want your head on a silver plate. And guess who gets the honour of doing that dirty work." _

_Sierra appeared cool and confident again, as if nothing had ever happened. It pissed me off."Would he? You know that I have a lot of valuable intelligence that can help you defeat these people. Would he sacrifice that?"_

"_You know too much," I retorted, smoothing back my hair. "He'd keep you locked up at best. After all, defence comes before offense 'round here."_

_Sierra nodded grimly. "You're probably right. It goes like that around here too."_

_I frowned, and then reacted a moment too soon when Sierra made a run for it. She'd somehow managed to swipe my pistol, and considering that there was another gunner headed towards me, I didn't think I'd get much luck with my EMR._

_So I did what a Turk does best when faced with a difficult situation. Escapes._

* * *

Because we all know how often the Turks run away :DD

Phwee~! I hope I didn't stuff up on any major points D: I was writing this over a few days, and I finished it late at night T.T Yes, I'm tired right now. So Ima go sleep~

Please review, they inspire what I write ^-^


	6. The Visitor

Why hello :3

It's been quite a while, hasn't it? D: Sorry. The last month has been a big load of asdfghjkl :D I'm still trying to get over it. And plus my LOVELY stepdad permanently banned me from using the computer, so I'm stuck on my school laptop xD

Well, anyway, the inspiration for this chapter came from a wet, rainy day. I love rainy days, so today I was just silently appreciating it, when I felt the urge to write this chapter. Rain has a funny way of doing that to me. Maybe because it's so beautiful. ^-^ Especially when it's dark and there's a soft glow from the streetlamps which illuminate the puddles-okay I'll stop there. XD

Enjoy this ridiculously short chapter~! c:

ｷｷｷｷｷｷ

A siren wailed overhead. Its urgency dealt anyone within its call the incentive to wonder, wonder if maybe, just maybe, the victim was a loved one of their own. It never seemed to happen, of course. Yet one person was always a victim of the news. There was always one, and sadly, accidents were so common nowadays that everyone had the opportunity to be that victim.

The cry of the siren echoed in Elena's head. She was torn inside, knowing that she possessed no means of comfort to offer Reno. He had made a mistake, as all good Turks did, yet she knew that no amount of reassuring could help settle him. He was as stubborn as a mule and as ignorant as a fool.

There was a sudden chilling change in the crisp, late autumn air that instinctively brought Elena inches closer to Reno. The atmosphere, despite being sullen, was as fresh as the cool sensation of a breath mint in the morning. Elena felt revitalized. The new knowledge she had gained sunk deep into her mind like a pen on paper. Gerard, Sierra, everything.

She squeezed Reno's arm. "We're going to make this right, Reno. Believe me."

He half turned to her, giving her a clear view of the long red hair soaked against his pale face. Elena was suddenly aware of her own long hair, which she was certain made her look like a drowned rat. She blew on a loose strand of hair, smiling at the thought of the two of them sitting there in the pouring rain, looking like right idiots.

Reno seemed to have noticed, because his mouth had twitched into a half smile. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you'd never heard of a blow dryer," He stood up slowly and ruffled Elena's matted blonde hair. "Cute, Elena, cute."

Elena watched him leave the park before heading back to meet Rude, whilst sleep threatened to overrule her body. She knew that Reno was destined for Tifa's. She also knew that he would be very late for work.

ｷｷｷｷｷｷ

'Beep beep. Beep beep. Beep be-'

Sinking deeper into her warm, comfortable mattress, Elena unconsciously reached for her mortal enemy the alarm clock and threw it at the wall. She had never been more exhausted. Dreams of sleep and prancing chocobos roamed throughout her mind, and anything besides this was completely irrelevant. Especially work.

Moments later, she slinked back into a deep sleep. Until the darkness brightened and a small, soft set of fingers lightly tapped her on the cheek.

"Mmm," Elena mumbled, tossing in defiance at the annoyance trying to stir her. "Not now…"

"Laney?"

The voice was that of a child's. It succeeded in rousing her with its familiarity. Somehow, she knew that voice.

"Laney, c'mon, wake up!" The girl tapped vigorously on her cheek, seemingly determined to awaken the sleeping rock.

Elena gave in and slowly forced her eyes open. She winced as rays of harsh light attempted to blind her. Her vision was blurred and weak up to the point where she decided she was either going blind, headed for heaven, or dreaming. However, the reality was none of these.

When her eyes adjusted to the lighting of her bedroom, the first thing she saw was the face of a 10 year old girl. If it weren't for her honey blonde hair, she would have thought it Marlene. Yet as she took in her face, she knew she were anything but. The girl had dazzling sapphires for eyes and the smile of an angel. Her face was well framed by her blonde bangs, encompassing a long ponytail. She looked as innocent as ever, yet despite her familiar voice; Elena had never laid eyes upon the girl.

"Who…who are you?" Elena mumbled, rubbing her tired brown eyes. "And what are you doing in my house!"

The girl took a step back, tucking her bangs behind her ears. "You really are Elena…"

Elena frowned and sat up in her bed, suddenly concerned and confused. "I am…Now answer my questions."

Half-frightened, the girl nodded. Tears were welling up in her cold, shivering eyes. In a voice shrouded with loneliness, she whispered, "You don't remember me? I'm your little sister, Liesey."

That'll have to do for now. I've had this none-too-great chapter stowed away in my fanfiction folder for months now, and I'm not feeling very inspired at the moment to continue it. I'm not saying I won't, though :D

What are your thoughts? c:


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